Eala defeats Gracheva in Eastbourne; first Filipina to reach WTA final

Alexandra Eala overcame Varvara Gracheva in a three-set semifinal between qualifiers at the Lexus Eastbourne Open to become the first Filipina player ever to reach a WTA final.

Alexandra Eala became the first Filipina player in history to reach a WTA final after battling past Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in a high-quality semifinal between two qualifiers at the Lexus Eastbourne Open.

Eala, 20, burst on to the tennis scene by defeating three Grand Slam champions -- Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek -- to reach the Miami semifinals in March, but lost four of her next five tour-level matches. However, her flat, left-handed strokes have thrived on grass. Having come through qualifying in Nottingham last week, Eala did so again this week in Eastbourne. In the main draw, she has bested Lucia Bronzetti, Ostapenko (via retirement), Dayana Yastremska and now Gracheva.

Even as Eala's fame -- particularly back at home in the Philippines -- has gone stratospheric this year, she has been a composed presence in interviews. But after completing the 2-hour, 22-minute victory over Gracheva, she was emotional and almost lost for words in her on-court interview.

"There were tough moments where she was playing well, and I didn't know how to get out of it," she explained. "It was a challenge for both of us, physically and mentally. We both came from qualies and she's a really solid player, had some moments where she was really dominating. So the fact that I was able to stay there and wait for my opportunities was a big achievement for me."

Eala will face either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Maya Joint in the final.

Hot shots and momentum shifts: For most of Eala and Gracheva's terrific tussle, the match was impossible to call. Momentum had swung back and forth between the pair as they had responded to every shift in the other's favor by raising their own level.

Eala made the first move, leaping out to a 4-1 lead -- only for Gracheva to hit back with a four-game run and serve for the first set at 5-4.

Eala denied her, reeling off five games of her own to snatch the first set and lead 2-0 in the second.

Next, it was Gracheva's turn to hit a hot streak, seizing six games in a row to take the second set and level the match.

The decider was a microcosm of the match: an early 3-1 lead for Eala, but Gracheva pegged her back at 3-3. The seventh game ran to five deuces, and Gracheva held one point to break for 4-3 -- but Eala held firm, swatting away a winner to save it and eventually coming through. It proved decisive: she dropped just two points in the last two games of the contest.

Prior to that, the pair had thrilled the Eastbourne crowd with a series of all-court exchanges. Eala's reactions at net proved key in the opening set, while Gracheva's backhand was lethal throughout the second. Eala came out on top of a number of lung-busters at the start of the decider, utilizing her drop shot to superb effect, and a rally of ever-sharper angles highlighted Gracheva's mini-comeback in that set.

As close as the match had been, a few stats in Eala's favor indicated how she had triumphed. She was more clinical on break points, particularly in an opening set in which she converted three out of three, compared to Gracheva's two out of eight. She kept both her first-serve percentage (74% to 67%) and her first-serve points won (61% to 57%) slightly higher than Gracheva.

Eala also managed to protect her vulnerability more effectively. She was able to win just 26% of her second-serve points throughout the match, but raised her first-serve percentage to 77% in the third set. By contrast, the Gracheva forehand had been the wing more likely to break down all day, and the Frenchwoman conceded the break in the penultimate game with a string of errors from that side.

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